Worthy: Finding the gray

9:59 PM,
Jan. 29, 2014

Written by

Chris Worthy, WNC Parent columnist

There was a time when I believed my youngest child would never be capable of an abstract thought. To him, there are no gray areas.

As a preschooler, he was the kid who had 9,427 Lego creations spread all around his room. Each was instantly recognizable because each set was crafted precisely according to the picture on the box.

Time and again, I would sit on the floor and say, "Let's make a farm (or a playground or whatever)." He would balk at the idea of free play with Legos. In his eyes, I was nuts. That was the wrong way to play. ...